THE QUIET ADVANTAGE: HOW STRONG ADVISORS LISTEN, ASK, AND BUILD TRUST
Many advisors are technically strong yet still miss critical information that limits the quality and impact of their advice. The gap is rarely expertise. More often, it’s what gets missed in the conversation. This workshop focuses on the quiet advantage that distinguishes strong advisors: listening carefully, asking better questions, and responding with intention in client conversations. It offers practical guidance on improving discovery, navigating high stakes or emotionally charged discussions professionally, and strengthening the quality of advisory work. The session is led by Heather Parbst, a Director at CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, with experience working in complex, high stakes conversations across forensic, family business, executive leadership, and owner transition contexts — informing how advisors listen, ask, and respond.
Learning Objectives:
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Recognize where important information is commonly missed in client conversations and why it matters to advisory outcomes.
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Listen and ask questions more intentionally to improve discovery before moving to recommendations.
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Navigate high stakes or emotionally charged conversations professionally, maintaining clarity, focus, and appropriate boundaries.
About the Presenter:
Hear from industry expert Heather Parbst.
Event Location
Event Details
Who Should Attend?
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Business Owners & Their Trusted Advisors
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Business Owners
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Other Business Professionals
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Business Consultants
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Professional Advisors
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Members of Family Business Boards
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Private Business Owners
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Other Professional Advisors
Regardless of your unique specialty, there is seat at the exit planning table for you. Learn more at www.EarnCEPA.com.
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Family Business Advisors
More than 50% of lower middle market business owners would prefer to transition to the next generation. Help them succeed with exit planning strategies.
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Commercial Lenders
One of the best relationships a business owner makes is with their banker. How can you help your corporate clients think about the future and ensure financial continuity? Answer: exit planning.
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Mergers & Acquisition Advisors
Proper exit planning causes less deals to fall through at the last minute. Connect with CEPAs to build your healthy deal flow network.
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Insurance Professionals
Exit planning addresses the 5 D's. So do you. Approach the risk conversation differently with exit planning.
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Strategic Consultants
One of the most critical roles in exit planning is building transferable value. Strategic consultants have the ability to expand options and drive rapid business value that affect performance today.
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Estate Planners
Exit planning is a natural fit for estate planners who want to operate more holistically with their owner clients.
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Investment Bankers
Only 2 of every 10 businesses that come to market actually sell. Learn how exit planning can bring attractive AND ready business to your purview.
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Valuation Analysts
Valuation is both a billable engagement AND an opportunity to provide owners some perspective on how to accelerate value drivers (and deal with value killers). Use exit planning to make that valuation into a longer term value acceleration engagement.
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Financial Advisors
One of the critical ‘legs of the stool’ is personal financing planning. An owner must have a strong financial plan & contingency plan post-transition to enable them to thrive in the next act of the lives personally and financially. Exit planning brings this future mindset into the present. Exit is now.
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Wealth Managers
You’re a skilled relationship person. Being entangled into your clients’ professional lives matters as you build a strategy to manage their wealth upon them harvesting it from their business. Exit planning allows you to build a deeper relationship with your client, expands your COI network, while giving you an early seat at table well before the liquidity event.
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CPAs/Accountants
Owners participating in the State of Owner Readiness research continue to indicate that you are the No. 1 "Most Trusted Advisor." You are a natural fit to lead the exit planning team and deepen your relationship (and retention) of next generation owners.
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Attorneys
You have close relationships with clients, and can benefit from being the first advisor to introduce the idea of exit planning.
EXIT PLANNING IS GOOD BUSINESS STRATEGY
The Exit Planning Institute, provides Financial Advisors, Accountants, Consultants, and other advisors of business owners with the critical education to differentiate themselves and add value to their existing client relationships through a credential, conference, courses, and content. Download the CEPA brochure for more information.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Heather is Director of Ownership Transition Advisory for CLA. She has always been driven to empower individuals and organizations to achieve more then they realized was possible. Heather partners with owners, leaders, and organizations to successfully navigate leadership transition, meet personal goals, grow value, and build strong leadership and culture. She especially enjoys working with leaders to navigate self-limiting behaviors and beliefs that are holding them back from success. A former CEO and entrepreneur, Heather has successfully scaled and sold her own business. Prior to entering the business world, Heather worked in both the government and nonprofit sectors in mental health and social services. She has navigated multiple career transitions and industry jumps and coaches and consults with leaders, teams, and families in organizations ranging from new startups to Fortune 500 companies. These experiences have given her a unique perspective into leadership, scaling, succession, operations, organizational behavior and organizational dynamics.